Grain-binder



- 2 Sheets-Sheet I. LANCASTER.

GRAIN BINDER.

(No Model.)

N; PEI'ERS. Photo (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I. LANCASTER. GRAIN BINDER. No. 324,122. v Patented Aug.. 11, 1885.

p vrrzns, Phghrl-Mlflsmpher. Washington, a c

UNITED STATES PATENT Qrnicnj.

ISRAEL LANCASTER, or cHIoAeo, ILLInoIs.

GRAIN-BINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Np. 324,122, dated August11, 1885.

Application filed November 28, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL LANCASTER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook,State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGrain-Binders; and I do hereby d eclare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1. shows a plan view of mybinding apparatus; Fig. 2, a view in side elevation of the same; Fig. 3,a detail View of the front spindle-su pportin g plate, showing thearrangement of the spindles; Fig. 4, a detail plan View showing thespindle-operatin g gear-wheel and pulley on the shaft journaled in thefixed supporting-shaft, the spindles and their pulleys being removed;Fig. 5, a detail View showing the means of operating the spindles; Fig.6, a detail View of the ring for forcing the band over the gavel.

The object of my invention is to provide an improvement in grain-binderswhereby the usual knotting and twisting mechanism can be done away with;and to this end it consists in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts of abinding apparatus adapted to use preparedbands, as hereinafter de scribed, and more specifically pointed out in Ithe claims.

In the drawings, Adesignates a supportingstandard, which can be of anydesired form and attached at any desired point to the frame of theharvester. This standard may be fixed on such frame, either outside orinside of the driving-wheel, on the stubble side of the machine. Uponthis standard is fixed or supported in any desired way the stationaryshaft B, which serves to support the various parts of my bindingmechanism. This shaft extends toward the rear of the machine in adirection parallel to the line of travel of the latter. Obviously,however, the direction in which the shaft extends can be changed to suitany machine and any kind or manner of delivcry of the sized gavels fromthe reaping mechanism. Upon this shaft, to the rear of thesupporting-standard, is fixed a spool, G, upon which the prepared bands0 c are placed, ready for use; also, fixed upon the shaft and beyond theend of the spool, as shown, are the two disks or plates D D, in whichare journaled a series of short shafts, E E. All of these spindles carrypulleys E E between the plates except the uppermost one of the series,which carries instead a pinion, E driven as hereinafter set forth. Uponthe end of this particular shaft, on the front side of the plate D,iscarried the conical screw-threaded spindle F,the threads of which arefine and of little pitch at its front end, but increasing in size andpitch toward the rear or large end of the spindle. The extremefrontendof this spindle is formed into a hook, f, as shown, and a longitudinalcentral passage, f, extends through the spindle and the shaft thereof,which projects through and beyond the plate D, and is there providedwith a worm or screw, f for the purpose to be de scribed. The othershafts of the series journaled in the plates carry on the front side ofplate or disk D conical spindles G G G,which for the greater portiou'oftheir length from their small ends are provided with circumferentialgrooves g 1. Near their rear ends these spindles are provided withspiral grooves of great pitch, as shown. All the spindles except the onemarkedF extend close to the end of the spool O, and the outer surfacesof their ends close to thespool are within the plane of the periphery ofthe spool-flange. The spindle F does not extend to said spool. Attachedto the spool near its front end are spring-wires G, which extend alongover it and the bands placed thereon. The rear free ends of these extendalong on each side of spindle F, so as to cause the bands to take thegrooves on the latter when they are brought over them. Said wires alsoserve to keep the bands in place on the spool as they are carried alongover it.

J ournaled within the stationary shaft B is the rotary shaft H,extending beyond the front end of shaft B, and rearward through saidshaft to a point between the planes of the plates D D. Upon this end ofshaft H is fixed. a pinion, H, and pulley H ,'a portion of shaft B beingcut away to form a recess in which they can turn. and to allow thepinion to project beyond the surface of said stationary shaft. vThispinion or gear wheel meshes with the pinion d journaled on astud on therear face of plate D, and this in turn gears with and drives the pinionon the shaft of spindle F. The shaft H is to be driven from any of theharvester-gearing by suitable intermediate mechanism. It is to be drivenat such arate and the gearing connecting it with the spindleshaftreferred to is to be so constructed that the hollow spindle will revolveonce for every gavel delivered or sheaf bound.

Around the pulley H and the pulleys on the spindle-shafts passes theendless band I in such a way as to drive half the pulleys and spindlesin one direction and half in the other, all as shown in Fig. 5. Thepulleys H and the spindles pulleys are to be so relatively sized thatwhen the shaft H has turned enough to revolve the spindle F once theother spindles will have been turned through two or three fullrevolutions. Each of the bands 0 c is complete, being either spun in acontinuous circle, or being formed of lengths of cord with their endsknotted together, and are to be of proper size to bind an average-sizedbundle, or the particular size of bundle to be delivered by the deliverymechanism of the reaperto which my apparatus is to be applied. After thebands have been prepared they are strung upon an annealed wire, a", anddetachabl y fastened in place thereon by means of paste or glue. The endof the wire is passed through the hollow spindle and shaft, and is thenat tached to a pin on the periphery of the short cylinder or wheel K,journaled on the fixed shaft B to the rear of plate D. On its sidetoward said plate it is provided with gearteeth Ink, which mesh with thepinion k, journaled in a bearing-block, k attached to plate 1). Theteeth of this pinion are also engaged by the threads of the worm f onthe hollow shaft of spindle F. Said pinion is of such a size and numberof teeth that as the spindle revolves once for each bundle bound thefeedwheel K, to which the end of the bandcarrying wire is attached, isturned just farenough to pull the wire through the spindle and shaft adistance equal to that between the bands on the wire. Upon the rear endof the shaft B is fixed a sleeve, L, having a series of radial rigidarms, L L L, extending from its outer surface. To the outer ends ofthese arms are pivoted the lugs M, attached to or forming a part of thebars N N. As shown, these bars at their ends toward the front of theapparatus are bent up and out to stand at right angles 'to the mainportion of the bars. Thelugs on the arms stand at right angles toihesurface of the bars, so that the latter swing upon their pivots inplanes radiating from the axis of the stationary sln'iporting shaft B.Beyond the sleeve L, and fixed to the end of the shaft, is the disk 0,having notches 0 0 in its edge. The disk is of such size that the barswill be stopped in their turning down on their pivots when they havereached a horizontal and parallel position. These bars are of such awidth that; when they are turned down parallel with each other spacesare left between them, and they therefore form a slotted cylinder, forthe purpose to be hereinafter set forth. Upon the stationary shaft, oneach side of the supporting-slandard, are fixed plates P I, havingthrough their outer ends holes adapted to receive and guide parallelrods R R on opposite sides of the fixed shaft and outside of themechanism supported thereon. At their front ends these bars areconnected together by a cross piece or plate, S, and at their other endsthey are fastened to opposite sides of the ring T, which is providedwith inwardly-projecting teeth 2% 2, adapted to pass along between thebars N N, when they are turned down, so as to form the slotted cylinder,as described, and the ring is slid over them, as shown in Fig. 1. Thenotches 0 0 in disk 0 allow the free passage of the teeth on the ring asit is slid onto and off of the bars.

Attached to the edge of disk D are wires ll d. They are fastened, asshown, preferably, in notches in the edge of the disk, so that theirfront ends extend down between the spindles while their rear ends extendto the disk 0, and preferably rest in the notches therein. If desired,they can be so arranged that their ends just extend to but do not reston said disk. To the cross head or piece S is attached a pit-man or rodto be reciprocated by suitable zonnection with some moving part of thereaper mechanism, so that it shall be given one full reciprocation tocarry the ring on the other end of the rods from the point marked 00 inFig. 1 to the end of the pivoted bars and back again at the delivery ofeach gavel.

My binding apparatus is intended to work in connection with that kind ofreaper where the cut grain falls on a moving apron and is elevated tothe binding-platform; but it can also be used equally well on thelow-down form of reaper. The ring T may be connected by pitman and pinto the driving-wheel of the reaper, if desired.

The operation of my binding apparatus is as follows: By the action ofthe feed-wheel pulling upon the wire carrying thebands they are broughtup in succession within reach of the separating hook or spur on the endof the hollow screw-spindle F. As this hook is carried around by therevolution of the spindle it separates the band from the wire, and bythe action of the serew-threads on the spindle the band is then carriedup and back on the spindle. Such carrying back of the band by thethreads 011 the serewspindle also serves to move them back over theother spindles. As these spindles revolve half in one direction and halfin the other the band is not moved around the series of spindles, aswould be the case if they all revolved in thcsamedireetion. When by theaction of the scrmv-spindle a .band is carried backward until it becomesengaged by the grooves of great pitch at thebase of the other spindles,it is quickly carried back over the rest of the length ofsaid spindlesand brought up onto the wires (1 within reach of the teeth within. thetraveling ring.

\Vhen my apparatus is in operation,as many bands will be on spindle F asthere are turns in its thread, so that one will be carried up into placefor every turn of said spindle. The mechanism is so turned that a bandwill be brought up off the spindles into place just before the ringstarts from its position over the spool on its travel toward the rear ofthe apparatus. The pivoted bars are then in position at right angles toand radiating from the stationary shaft, withtheir bent ends downbetween the feed-wheel and the series of fixed ra dial arms on whichthey are pivoted. A gavel is then to be brought by the deliverymechanism of the reaper with its butt-end within reach of the pivotedbars. The band-carrying ring is then forced toward the bars and gavel byits connection with the actuating-gearing of the reaper through the armsto which it is attached. In its travel it strikes the band and carriesit along over the supporting'wires therefor. When the ring strikes thebars, it turns them down so that they clasp the gavel and compress it,and then carries the band along over the slotted cylinder formed by suchbars, and off the end thereof onto the gavel so as to bind it into abundle. The ring then travels back to its first position, on its way towhich it strikes theupturned short ends of the bars, and so turns thebars up into the radial positions theyoccupied at the beginning of theoperation. The band-feeding mechanism can be turned as desired to bringa hand up into position to be engaged by the ring, either just after thering has passed over the disk D on its return travel toward the front ofthe apparatus, or just before it reaches such disk on its travel towardthe bundle-compressing end of said apparatus.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combinationwith the series of bars pivoted to swing in planes radial from the samecenter, each one at its pivoted end turned up at or near a right angle,the ring adapted to slide over the bars, and provided with teeth orprojections to extend between the bars as the ring passes over them,means for reciprocating the ring over the bars, and means for feeding aprepared band into posit-ion in front of the ring, so as to be carriedalong thereby, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The notched disk on the fixed shaft, adapted to limit the swing ofthe pivoted bars inward toward each other, in combination with the barspivoted to swing in radial planes from the fixed shaft and bent up atright angles at their pivoted ends, the internallytoothed ring, andmeans for forcing it over said bars to their ends and off again,substantially as shown and described.

3. In combination with the notched stopdisk, the pivoted hooked bars,the disk on the same fixed shaft with the stop-disk and beyond thehooked ends of the b. rs, the wires attached to the edge of such diskand extending to the periphery of the stop-disk, means for feeding aprepared hand up into place on these wires, and the traveling ringadapted to force the band along over these wires and the pivoted barsonto the gavel compressed between the latter, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

4. In combination with the series, of prepared bandsstrung upon a wireor cord, means for taking one of these bands from its wire or cord andfeeding it up into position to be engaged by the carrier-ring and forcedalong over the gavel-compressing bars, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

5. In combination with the wire or cord carrying the prepared bandsstrung thereupon at certain distances apart, means for feeding said wireor cord along so that a new band will be engaged by the band-feedingmechan ism for each bundle bound, substantially as shown and described.

6. In combination with the wire carrying the bands, the feed-wheel towhich one end of the wire is attached, in combination with means forturning it so as to feed the wire along to bring a new band to theband-feeding mechanism for each bundle bound, substantially as shown anddescribed.

7. The spirally-groovedspindle on the hollow shaft, provided at itssmaller end with a hook adapted to take the bands in succession from thewire upon which they are strung and pass them over the spindle, to beengaged by the grooves thereon as the wire is pulled through the hollowshaft by the mechanism provided therefor, substantially as shown anddescribed. 7

8. In combination with the band feeding spindle, the feed-wheel for thewire upon which the prepared bands are strung, driven through suitableconnecting mechanism from the shaft of the spindle, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

9. In combination with the spirally-grooved band-feeding spindleprovided with the separating-hook, the rotating shaft of the spindle,the feed-wheel for the band-carrying wire or cord, and suitableconnecting mechanism between the spindle-shaft and the wheel, wherebythe wheel is driven at such a rate that the feed-wire is pulled along tobring a new band within reach of the separatinghook at each revolutionof the spindle, substantially as and for the purpose described.

10. The combination of thespirally-grooved spindle, having theband-separating hook at its small end, its hollow shaft withscrewthreaded portion, the pinion adapted to engage with its teeth thisthreaded portion of the shaft, and the teeth on the feed-wheel, to whichis attached the end of the bandcarrying wire which passes through thehollow spindleshaft, substantially as shown and described.

11. In combination with the spirally-grooved band separating and feedingor conveying spindle, the series of rotating grooved spindles, adaptedto bring the band into a circular form as it is carried along over themand aid the spirally'grooved spindle in bringing the band into positionto be acted upon by the mechanism for forcing it over the gavel,substantially as and for the purpose described.

12. In combination with the spirally-grooved band separating andconveying spindle, the series of rotating spindles circumferentiallygrooved for a portion of their length, and at their large ends providedwith spiral grooves of quick pitch, as shown and described, and meansfor rotating half of the spindle in one direction and halfin the other,substantially as and for the purpose described.

13. In combination. with the spool upon which the bands are placed, thewires attached at one end to said spool and extending over the bands tokeep them in place on the spool, and at their free ends lying alongsideof and a little below the plane of the upper surface of the spindle, soas to insure the en gagement of the hands by the grooves of the latter,substantially as shown and described.

14. In combination with the fixed supporting-shaft, the two disks orplates fixed thereon, the series of band feeding or conveying spindleson shafts journaled in the plates, the rotating shaft journaled withinthe fixed shaft and provided with. a gear-wheel and pulley upon its endbetween the disks, the pinion on the shaft of one of the spindles driventhrough suitable mechanism from the gear on the shaft,

and the baud-pulleys on the shafts of the other spindles driven from thepulley on the shaft by means of a suitable baud, substantially as shownand described.

15. In combination with the rods or bars carrying the band-placing ring,and actuated by any suitable connection with the harvester or deliverymechanism, the guide arms through which the rods pass fixed upon thestationary shaft supporting the gavel-compressing and band-feedingmechanism, substantially as shown and described.

16. In combination with. the feed wire or cord, the prepared bands foruse in a grainbinder, strung upon and attached to the wire or cord,substantially as and for the purpose described.

17. The prepared bands for grain-binders, strung upon a wire or cord,and fastened thereto by paste or glue, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this8th day of November, A. D. 1888.

ISRAEL LANCASTER.

Witnesses:

WM. I-I. FoULKn, Tues. CHARLES.

